"Freedom is... clearing the clutter to make room for magic, rainbows and stardust to show up in my life." -- Sharon House

Welcome back! Well guess what? I finally figured out just how easy it is for me to reply to comments left here on the blog. DUH... it is so simple, it's almost embarrassing to admit I didn't know how to do it. LOL. So check out the comment section for additional thoughts I may have in response to your comments or those left by others.

Ready to dig in to the next step? Set yesterday's pages aside and begin with a fresh page or piece of paper.

A few thoughts to ponder before you begin...

Let's face it. We all have *stuff* just gathering dust, taking up space in our homes and "clogging" our lives that we either no longer want, need or use. But each time we think of tossing it out, the evil clutter fairy
shows up!

Artists are notorious for holding onto "stuff", just in case they may want it *someday*!! Do you really need those 30 dominoes in your stash or would 10 do for now? Do you really need all those blank canvases you bought on sale a number of years ago that are turning yellow and taking up space in your "stash" closet? Do you really need to hold on to those acrylic paint bottles with only a few drops of (drying) paint left in them? What about all those unfinished projects? Yep, those ones that you keep telling yourself you will finish one day -- that elusive "Some day I'll..." that just never seems to come.

Hmm and while we are talking about *stuff*, take a look in your clothes closet. What's too small? too big? out of style? the wrong colour? worn out? Shoes, dresses, pants, blouses, sweaters, scarves... the list can go on and on. What about the garage? Your kitchen cupboards? Storage locker? Your car?

When our lives are stuffed and cluttered, there is precious little room left for *magic* to appear. The weight of all that "clutter" that hasn't seen the light of day since who knows when can often hide from us the awareness of what we really want in our lives.

Could it be that all that *stuff* you no longer use or even want is taking up space in your home, weighing you down (even if you aren't aware of it) and perhaps leaving you with that sickening feeling of being firmly STUCK? Only you have the answer.

Now my experience has been that when you start eliminating clutter, you begin to free yourself from clutter's clutches and oh my, it feels good. You feel lighter. More in control. Powerful... knowing that you are in charge of breathing new life into your work, your art and your daily life. Creating space for new inspiration, fresh ideas and positive energy to come in. Energy to assist you in discovering and accomplishing what is truly most important to you in all facets of your life.

Noticing some resistance to the thought of attacking clutter? That's pretty normal. I'm doing this process along with you and this is the step I find myself most in resistance to every darn time. But I will set my resistance aside for now. I'll do it anyway because I know from previous experience that addressing it works. I encourage you to do the same.

Being *energy efficient* is "IN" these days LOL...however, only you can decide if one of the things you want for yourself this year is to accomplish more with less effort by becoming more *energy efficient*!

The bottom line: to move to a new level, you need to create some space to accommodate it so get ready to...
*DUMP THE CLUTTER*

What activities do I engage in that are really a waste of my time and energy?

What physical surroundings,environments and (oh BOY!) people dampen my enthusiasm?

Tip: Clean it up. Box it up. Let it go. Sell it. Give it away. Get rid of it. Simplify.

P.S. How did the tortoise win the race? That's right... slow and steady. He just kept at it, day after day until he reached the finish line. Take a cue from the tortoise in clearing up the clutter.

Quotes to Ponder

"I've been getting rid of some clutter — anything that doesn't serve a positive purpose in my life — and making room for things that feel happy to me. Because I get to make my life whatever I want it to be. I get to make the room feel however I want it to feel. I get to make the closet as full or as spacious as I want it. And, if I have more clutter to get rid of after Christmas, I'm not going to wait a year, or two or three to do it. " --Jan Denise

"Simplicity is making the journey of this life with just enough baggage." -- Author Unknown

"Clutter is a physical manifestation of fear that cripples our ability to grow." -- H.G. Chissell

"If you have debt, I'm willing to bet that general clutter is a problem for you too." -- Suze Orman

"Affirm for yourself that you are a success. Affirm that you are successful in getting rid of your clutter. If you are having a hard time getting started, be grateful that you are such a successful clutterer. Who else could have amassed such a collection of stuff?" --Norman Vincent Peale

4 comments:

You keep doing this to me Sharon! I have started clearing some clutter alreday and DH and I are going room to room on Friday to see where the clutter hotspots are!! I also spent a very pleasant half hour browsing through Karen Kingston's website, blog and that book!!*Grins*

Rosie... I did have a chuckle with your comment! Thank you... it's a great way to start the day.

I have often found it interesting how some folks , when they begin this process, intuitively start clearing any clutter before they even get to this step. I think they know, on some level, that in order to attract something new and wonderful into their life, they need to "scrub" their space. I don't think any of us would attempt to bring a beautiful hardwood floor to a shine without cleaning it first... and the same applies to our "life space"!

I really enjoy Karen Kingston's books and philosophy around clearing the clutter. The Feng Shui book was fascinating.

I always try, every year, to live my life in a healthier way - I make small changes so embracing "Sharon's way" is right up my street! Now all I have to do is tell DH that you said we have to do it... and he's bound to agree!! PS - I am blogging this process on both my blogs! And journalling it too - great journal fodder, so thanks a bunch!!

I have been receiving a number of private emails from ladies following this process with regards to de-cluttering. I decided this morning that it might be useful for all of you to be able to read some of the answers I am sending!

Q. "Why list 50 things? I can make it to 30 but can't seem to get past that without repeating myself?"A. 50 things will stretch you to really take a hard look around your studio and home! My experience has been that if I said, "list 20 things?" people would list either less than that or stop at 20.

Q. Who can I give *my de-cluttered stuff* to? I don't want to throw it in the trash and have it go to the landfill!A. Here are some ideas: 1. Give it to other artist/crafting friends. Invite them over for a cup of tea and let them look through your stuff and take what they want.2. Get it touch with local schools. With limited budgets, art teachers are always looking for supplies... even paper... for their students.3. Box it up and give it to a local thrift store.4. Home schoolers love to get supplies. Get in touch with your local homeschooling support association. Google "homeschooling support groups" to find them in your area and give them a call.5. Activity directors at local retirement homes are often looking for supplies for their residents. With limited budgets, they welcome art supply donations.6. Post what you have to give away on Freecycle. There are over 8,000 communities that belong to the Freecycle Association. You can see if your community is listed by doing a search at http://www.freecycle.org7. Sell it on e-Bay or post an ad in your local paper.8. Box it up and sell it at your next garage sale.9. Ask a Sunday School teacher at your local church if she could use it with the children in his/her group.10. Scout and Girl Guide teachers may be able to put *your stuff* to good use. Ask around for groups in your area.

Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a wise, witty or wonderful comment. I truly appreciate it. Unfortunately, a marked increase in spam has made it necessary to turn on word verification again. Hope you understand!

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